FOOD ROAD TRIP: RUDY'S COUNTRY STORE AND BAR-B-Q SAN ANTONIO TEXAS YA'LL!

After 4 6 day weeks in retail fun land, business slows and it's a good time to get away for the end of the year. That means jumping on a plane and heading down to Texas to catch up with the SO who's been visiting family there since Christmas. I got some fam there too so we will all be catching up. I figured I'd hit some full on meat places while I was here because it is Texas after all and you can't come down here without having their version of barbecue. (hint: it's a lot of smoked stuff) Searching out which places seem to have a following in the San Antonio area several names come up. One is called Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, a place that started out as a gas station/country store and then morphed into a chain of roadside spots to get your smoke on throughout the Southwest. We decided to roll in there the other night after seeing that Star Wars movie thing to fill our bellies with meat, and other stuff.

nothing like a tongue in cheek sign to get people to stop in. 

HOT SAUCE AND PANKO IN THE RICHMOND...A REVISIT BEFORE BUILDING DEMOLITION

***LOOKS LIKE THESE FOLKS GOT A NEW PLACE LINED UP. THOUGH NO OFFICIAL RE-OPENING DATE AS OF YET***

As I was cruising through the food news during the week it came to my attention that Hot Sauce and Panko's building was being demolished and they would be moving out to an as yet unknown locations. This was one of the first places I reviewed nearly 5! years ago when I first started this food blog thingy (it was also one of the first to get a lot of views). You can read down memory lane on that experience by clicking here. While they will be reopening somewhere, sometime, just thinking about it got me wistful for when I first started blogging with the innocent thrill of "this will be fun", "maybe it will turn into something", "I could make a career out of this!" Okay, so maybe a couple of those didn't really turn out to be true, but whatever. I still find small joy and fun trying out far flung places on the edges of San Francisco. Obviously I still find this worth it since I'm still doing it 5! years in! Did I mention that already? Anyway, I figured why not hit them up again before the building implodes and see how the years have been to them.

I think the signs are trying to tell us something.

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS TO CONSUME.....AND BUNDT CAKE!

I hadn't been by Neighbor Bakehouse in awhile and since it's the holidays I'd though I would run in and see if they have anything new and sweet I could scarf down. And lo and behold, but what to my wondering eyes would appear but brown sugar cinnamon bundt cake. I'm always on the edge with  bundts as they run the gamut from good to not so much. Plus they don't usually come with icing, which in my world, can cover up a lot of sins and things that can go wrong when making this kind of cake. Here we basically have a pound cake with a swirl of cinnamon and brown sugar and a dusting of powdered sugar on top for $3.50 a slice. It's a decent sized slice, close to Texas toast size and thickness, comparable to ones you'd get at say Peet's or Starbucks or most any coffee shop in town. I was a little worried it might be dry but it felt heavy in my hand and that translated into a very moist piece of cake--yeah! The swirls added light touches of holiday flavor without being overly sweet. There is a nice crust on the outside which is both crunchy, cakey, almost like a brown sugar crumble. Like a good pound cake it also had a nice butteriness much like you'd get in a croissant. And while I am a fan of icing on cake, here I don't think it was needed and probably wouldn't have added much to it either. This was like a dense, moist, crumbly, touch of sweet coffee cake bundt that works just as well as a morning, late afternoon or after dinner treat. I'm pretty too, if you needed a whole one to spruce up a holiday party, you could probably talk them into selling you, though be prepared to pay a little extra and accept the fact you won't have any leftovers to take home for later. 

• No Christmas Eve plans yet? Then go out to eat at these pricey options.
• Alamo Draft House and their bar have finally opened in the Mission. Check out all the photos and have a gander at their food and booze menus.
• Tablehopper gets a first look at the food offerings at the new brasserie Volta. 
• The Infatuation thinks these are the best food Instagrammers, but since I'm not on this list I can't speak for its veracity. You can follow me here and see for yourself! 
• It's out with Kara's Cupcakes (they are so 3 years ago!) and in with Le Marais Bakery in the tourist friendly spot at Ghirardelli Square. 
• And not to be outdone, Fisherman's Wharf is getting a new family run ice cream shop. The tourists get all the best stuff! :)
• Is this proof that hipsters will fall for anything or is just a case of excellent marketing? You be the judge since I'm not really all that into chocolate. 
• Bacon Bacon continues their expansion expansion as they scoop up a small spot in SOMA a block from AT&T Park. Just what baseball fans need with their beer--MORE BACON!
• VeganBurg is now open in the Haight, naturally. Though seems they are catering to vegans who have money cuz' these burgs don't come that cheap. 
• This place is now open in Hayes Valley from some former Ad Hoc chefs. They are still just rolling out dinner for now but look for lunch and brunch stuff soon, because they all do eventually. 
• Whole Foods looks to roll out one of its new concept stores in SF. They say it will be cheaper and quicker. We'll reserve judgement for now. 
• Looks like Mr. Jiu's has met their kickstart goals and will finally be opening a full time brick and mortar location in Chinatown. 
• And what would a food wrap up be without some Star Wars news! Celebrate it with a SOLID dark chocolate Millennium Falcon from Kollar Chocolates in Yountville. 
• If you thought about hitting up Harvey's in "the heart of the Castro" better make other plans as they are closing for a (much needed?) make over and hope to reopen in a week or so. And speaking of breaks.....

....as a retail worker, this is what we call "hell week", so if you know of any other jobs out there with some regular M-F hours and no holidays--PLEASE drop me a line! It also means this is my last post before a little holiday break to get through this next week. So from me to you and all your friends have a happy holiday, merry Christmas and what not. I leave you with one of my all time favorite xmas tunes and I'll see you on the other side!

FOOD TRUCK QUICK BITE: ODANG UDON..IT'S NOODLE TIME!

Nothing like swinging through SOMA's StrEat Food Park when it's chilly outside. With the heated indoor seating you can grab a quick bite and nestle in from the cold. That's what me and the SO decided to do one evening and what better way to brace for briskness than with a warm noodle bowl! Seemed like a good enough reason to tuck in with Odang Udon. They are a mostly regular truck there but we'd never actually tried them, so what better time than now.

EATSA IN SOMA...IT'S HEALTHY IN A BOWL BUT I'M TRYING IT ANYWAY!

Fast, casual, healthy, affordable--all buzzwords used to try to break into a market that has become "the thing" over the last few years. Even some of the long running fast food folks have tried to healthy up their menus, not always with success. Into this fray comes Eatsa, billing themselves as better fast food and a place where new technology meets a new kind of healthy food delivery. It sounded intriguing enough for me to at least give up meat for one meal to try them out. Hopefully my stomach won't be overwhelmed with all the vegetable-ness.

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS TO CONSUME....AND ICING WITH CAKE

What better way to celebrate the holidays than with some cake! Okay sure, I personally don't need a reason to eat cake, but it sounds better than gluttony. I stumbled across this beauty at Susie Cakes in the Marina. Yeah, I'm not sure why we were there either, I think we were just lost. But I'll take any chance to go into a bakery. I spotted this apple caramel spice cake with cream cheese frosting right away and said yes, yes, yes to a slice. It runs $6.25 a slice and they definitely give you a heft slab for that price. Kudos for having more than enough of that lovely cream cheese icing to satiate even me. The cake was very moist and I could taste the cinnamon, nutmeg and probably allspice? in each bite of just the cake itself. I will say the apple and caramel bits were a little lost on me but I was mostly okay with that as it was still a tasty cake. The icing may have been a little on the sweet side for many folks, but for me it balanced all right with the cake which wasn't overly sweet. It might have been interesting had I been able to taste maybe some small bits of apple in there, thus I would say they need to pump that up a bit more. The caramel sounds nice in a description but isn't necessarily needed. Still a tasty after meal treat, or if you are like me, an in place of meal treat. Because it's the holidays! See, still sounds better than gluttony.

• The New York Times spends 36 Hours in Oakland. Did they really last that long?
• SF Eater takes a look at what you'll be eating and drinking at the Alamo Drafthouse Theater opening soon in the Mission. 
• Because nothing says the holidays like endless drinking here's where to get your bottomless mimosa on.
• This place is now open and serving espresso and bone broth? Ugh..you know how I feel about that. 
• Where to get an egg nog cocktail in town because 'tis the season.
• This place is now open for all you health conscious people and those that aren't.
• Christmas cookies!!
• San Francisco's hottest Hong Kong food truck?
• Michael Mina's doing a Super Bowl restaurant. The cashing in begins!
• Don't fret folks, Elbo Room will be around another two years.
• The Yard's getting a soccer field too? Could bring the hungry masses in the off-season.
• Look! A new sport opening in the Mission! It's a hofbrau meets Southern-ish food?
• Flipper's is getting new owners! Oh No! Hopefully they won't change the menu too much.

GOAT HILL PIZZA IN SOMA....WAIT, THEY'RE OPEN AGAIN?!

I think I've mentioned before finding a decent, affordable lunch in SOMA can be challenging. Yes, there are a lot more options these days due to all the tech offices and what not. Problem is, sometimes they cater to them with a devil may care attitude in their pricing. For those of us who live in the hood it can be disappointing. One place I had found was an off shoot of Goat Hill Pizza, who's original place in Potrero Hill is still chugging along nicely. Then they added a location in West Portal and for awhile the walk up window place in SOMA seemed to disappear. But now it is back and the signs to grab a slice can be found at either end of Stillman street. A little strip of road that runs just below the 101. Since they are back, let's eat some pizza!

VIVA LA TARTE IN SOMA BRINGS THE SWEET AND SAVORY

Sometimes things pop up in the most unusual of places, take for instance Vive La Tarte, a bakery run by a Belgian husband and wife that opened several months in SOMA. Howard and 8th Street to be exact. Who knew there were such large warehouse like spaces still affordable in this town that a local, organic, sustainable (and all those other hot foodie words) could afford to be in. Miracles do happen in San Francisco? Of course, being it's a bakery, you just know I was more than interested to make my way over to what can be a sketchy part of SOMA to see if their pastries were worth the journey.

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS TO CONSUME....AND PIE!!

Nothing personal towards Thanksgiving, but now is the real holiday time and what better way to start celebrating than with some pie! Mini sweet potato pies from Charlie Frank Pies to be exact. Located in Oakland, they sell mainly at farmer's markets and such, though seems you can order directly and in larger sizes from them. I came across their booth one day and who can resist a handful of pie. And at $4.50 a pop, these mini ones are just as big (or larger) than single slices you get which can run $6 or more in the city. The one on the left was a sweet potato peach, a pie that is supposedly their specialty. The pie had some nice flavors of sweet potato and it was on the creamy side, which you can probably chalk up to the cream cheese mixed in--a pleasant touch. The crust was also slightly flaky and a little buttery. Though as far as tasting any peach in here, it was lost on me. I think I was expecting small chunks throughout or something, but seems the peach was pureed and swirled in with the sweet potato. That doesn't make it a bad pie, on it's own, it is a nice little sweet potato pie that is very tasty. The ingredients list also had pineapple on it and I totally missed that too. If you sweet potato, this is good to go, if you are looking for some peach, it was a tad lacking in that.  The other is a Caribbean ginger sweet potato pie. I was kind of looking forward to this and some great ginger flavor. However, I have to say it was a little light on the ginger. While it wasn't totally absent like the peach, it was really subtle, which I found surprising considering the dark color. Maybe that was from cinnamon or nutmeg? Couldn't tell, as those were also on the soft side. The pie filling is nice and smooth (cream cheese again) and the crust was also good as before. Thus as a sweet potato pie on it's own it is good. The ginger part, not so much. I think in the grand scheme of things, the base recipe for a sweet potato pie here is works perfectly well. I just wish some of the stated flavors--peach, ginger--could be brought up several notches and boldly proclaim themselves in each bite. I would't say no to having one again, I would adjust my expectations though to expect just a good little sweet potato pie instead. 

• It's more than just Christmas, there's also Hanukkah, and here's some treats.
• The latest Bay Area restaurant closing list.  
• And this is being sold, eventually, and may possibly close after being sold. Or not.
• Craftsman and Wolves also finally opened a second location.
• And a taco/tequila bar is coming to Lower Nob Hill. Because they need one?
• It's where to eat in the Sunset. You know, when you need a little fog in your life? 
• It's holiday beer time for the hipster in your life (or you).
• A chef more interested in food than fame? I guess no Top Chef for you!
• Seems the titans of coffee and French pastries are not merging after all.
• Not all rosy holidays as Magnolia Brewery files Chapter 11.
• This giant restaurant space, formerly owned by a female chef who was more interested in fame than food, can be yours!
• Time to revel in the San Francisco bagel and stop complaining that they aren't New Yawk ones. 

TROU NORMAND....A TRUE BUSINESS MAN'S LUNCH (that means expensive)

Trou Normand came on the scene with lots of fanfare when it opened in the remodeled former Pacific Telephone & Telegraph building on New Montgomery Street. They focus on whole animal butchery and house made charcuterie, sort of like a fancy butcher that also serves drinks. Me and Ms. Moll had a spare lunch hour one day and decided to give them a try and get our meat on, as it were.